Tuesday, April 30, 2013

The PM has indeed been acting strange lately. First, his own insecurities about his own qualifications for the PM role led him to attack the personable young Liberal leader... Then he moves on to other interesting things (as Mr Goodale explains below)...

One would think he'll show up in a cold blue sports car next - as he tries to appear more ... Human?

RALPH GOODALE'S REPORTA commentary by the Member of Parliament for Wascana

April 30th, 2013

MR. HARPER BEHAVING ODDLY

Stephen Harper seems a little shaky lately.

He's been lashing out at school teachers, university professors, sociologists ... even camp counsellors.

With apologies to a great Canadian author, Mr. Harper is acting a bit like Stephen Leacock's character, Lord Ronald, who "flung himself on his horse and rode madly off in all directions". Such behaviour does not convey a sense of maturity, confidence or seasoned judgment.

The most recent examples started two weeks ago at Margaret Thatcher's funeral in London. It's hard to know what was running through Mr. Harper's mind as he sat in the pews in St. Paul's Cathedral, but apparently it wasn't the Iron Lady. Right after the service he quickly summoned a news conference to offer a gratuitous, trans-Atlantic insult aimed at newly-elected Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau.

So what prompted such an outburst? In the wake of the bombings in Boston Mr. Trudeau had noted that, among many other things, it would be useful to find out what actually caused the perpetrators of this evil to do what they did. That seems like common sense -- if you want to prevent similar terrorist activity in the future. But Mr. Harper disagrees.

That puts him offside with both President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron who made much the same comment as Mr. Trudeau, as did many journalists and anti-terrorism experts around the world. Back in 2011, even Stephen Harper himself launched a $10-million research project to better understand the root causes of terrorism.

So what has changed? Why are the Harper Conservatives abandoning the search for hard facts and clear insight, further isolating Canada internationally, and contenting themselves with numbskull pronouncements like "the root cause of terrorism is terrorists"? If this is what they truly believe, they are exposing Canada and Canadians to greater, more complex and repetitive risks.

We can only hope that the RCMP, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the security section within National Defense are more astute and effective than their current political masters. In this regard, it's not reassuring to see the RCMP being forced recently to submit to over-reaching political influence. The Force has doubtless had its problems in recent years, but the answer is not more interference from this Prime Minister's Office.

Many Canadians say the reason for Mr. Harper's superficial, erratic conduct lately has nothing to do with terrorism or national security, but everything to do with the public impact of Justin Trudeau.

People are finding Justin likable and inspirational. They agree with his focus on the success of the middle-class and all those who are working so hard to join the middle-class. They appreciate his constructive, positive approach -- giving Canadians reasons to vote FOR something once again, not just AGAINST -- and his remarkable ability to rally people around a more ambitious vision of what our country has the potential to become.

What truly shakes Mr. Harper is a hopeful, informed, engaged electorate who won't be content with manipulation or mediocrity anymore!

Saturday, April 27, 2013

A new Sun News poll finds Canadian voters think Justin Trudeau's positive and constructive ads are much more effective than Harper's low-blow, deceitful attack ads... Poll had a very large sample size, although it would likely have been frequented more by pro-Conservative voters. This leads one to believe that even Harper's so-called "base" is beginning to waver on his unhealthy fixation on the Liberal Party of Canada...

Sunday, April 14, 2013

RALPH GOODALE'S REPORTA commentary by the Member of Parliament for Wascana

Special Edition: Sunday, April 14th, 2013

TRUDEAU'S LEADERSHIP BUILT ON HOPE & HARD WORK

Justin Trudeau has just been elected Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.

The process to select him attracted the democratic participation of more Canadians than any political party ever has. But bigger challenges lie ahead, like earning the trust of millions of voters and motivating them to get to the polls in a general election in 2015. How will that be done?

As a starting point, Justin has tapped into Canadians' deep desire for something better in our politics, something to vote FOR, rather than never-ending abuse telling you what to vote AGAINST.

Over the past seven years, a great many people have grown weary of perpetual campaigning, instead of governing. They’re tired of ugly, scorched-earth partisanship and political polarization driving wedges of fear, greed, envy, anger and hate.

Most Canadians are searching for something more hopeful -- and that's where Justin stands out.

He has a special ability to rally people around a happier vision of what this country has the potential to achieve. Perhaps his most telling criticism of the Harper regime is that they’re so unambitious – their goals for Canada are so mediocre. And this country deserves better.

But inspiration is only part of what's needed. The other part is perspiration -- i.e., plain hard work. And much of that work has to be done, not in the rarefied political bubble that envelops Parliament Hill, but instead, in the town halls and church basements and community centres across Main Street Canada, right where Canadians really live, far from Ottawa's madding crowd.

In authentic places like these, as Justin said recently, he has met and learned from more Canadians over the past six months than Stephen Harper has allowed near him in the past six years. And those encounters have shaped Justin's priorities.

Job #1 is bolstering the well-being of the middle-class and all those who are working hard to join them. That includes a relentless focus on higher education, advanced skills, scientific research and the deployment of new technology. It includes expanding trade, especially with emerging economies, and attracting investment on terms that create good-paying Canadian jobs.

With respect to Canada's rich natural resources, Justin has called for a smart marriage between sound economic policy and sound environmental policy. The two are inextricably connected. The economy, he says, is just too important to ignore the environment. And he makes this critical point -- no federal politician should try to use western resources to buy eastern votes.

Building a more prosperous, inclusive, fair and decent Canada also involves strengthening our democracy. In Parliament, that means less power in the hands of Party bosses, and more authority and responsibility in the hands of individual MPs.

MPs must be the voice of their constituents in Ottawa and not just mouthpieces in their ridings for an all-controlling Prime Minister. That’s the kind of democracy that Justin wants to nourish.

Tuesday, April 09, 2013

Since its inception, the pro-Conservative Sun New has done anything it can to prove it is a purveyor of "open and honest news", and carriers of "the full story". Sun readers are open-minded intellectuals with a penchant for - often random - displays of empathy.

This is why, we are very impressed with Sun News readers' overwhelming support for Justin Trudeau - saying - in a clear majority of voters - that JT is ready to lead this great nation of ours!

This is truly a great moment in this nation's history... A moment when even the right-wing media and their readership can support the moderate centrist as the best choice for leading Canada.